Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi. With a population of 34,546, it is the seventh-largest city in Mississippi, the second-largest in North Mississippi and is a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub. It has a deep connection to Mississippi's music history, being associated with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Rae Sremmurd, and Diplo. The city is home to multiple art and cultural institutions, including the Elvis Presley Birthplace and the 10,000-seat BancorpSouth Arena, the largest multipurpose indoor arena in Mississippi. Tupelo is the only city in the Southern United States to be named an All-America City five times, most recently in 2015. n February 7, 1934, Tupelo became the first city to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority thus giving it the nickname "The First TVA City." Following electrification, Tupelo boomed as a regional manufacturing and distribution center and was once considered a hub of the American furniture manufacturing industry. Although many of Tupelo's manufacturing industries have declined since the 1990s, the city has continued to grow due to strong healthcare, retail, and financial service industries. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 56.60% White (19,553) 37.95% Black or African American (13,110) 5.45% Other (1,883) 20.6% (7,116) of Tupelo residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics While generally safe for Mississippi standards, Team Rocket activity has been on the rise in Lee County as of late, and especially in Tupelo. Nowhere near the periods of the mid-20th century and the late 1970's-early 1980's, but it's increasing. The city reported 29 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 7.55 murders a year. Pokemon See the Lee County page for more info. Fun facts * Tupelo is also where the electro-rap group Bad Androids was formed. * The city has a bit of a bad history with tornadoes. Much of the city was devastated by an F5 tornado in 1936 that still ranks as one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history. It was also hit by twin F2 tornadoes in 1952, and on January 29th, 2000, a long-tracked F4 tornado that caused severe damage to Pontotoc tore through Tupelo, causing just as severe, if not worse damage, and went on afterwards, dissipating not long after crossing the Itawamba county line. * Tupelo is basically the hub for North Mississippi outside of the Memphis suburban areas. Every store you can think of, plus many car dealerships, shopping centers and the Barnes Crossing Mall is here. It also has many hotels and chain restaurants to choose from, along with a Harvey's, a regional airport, the largest contest hall in Mississippi, certainly no shortage of recreational and sports opportunities, an automobile museum, plenty of local restaurants and businesses, a national battlefield which is the historic site for a battle that took place in 1864, a Love's truck stop, plenty of fishing opportunities, a small zoo, a small aquarium, and a lot more to offer. * Tupelo is home to the main campus of Northeast Mississippi Battle Academy. Category:Mississippi Cities